FERIN - Framework for Extensible Registration of Information

Security Overview

Registers often contain sensitive or business-critical data. This guide covers security considerations for protecting register content, operations, and user access.

Authentication

Verifying who users are

Authorization

Controlling what users can do

Data Protection

Protecting content at rest and in transit

Audit & Compliance

Recording and monitoring activity

Authentication Patterns

Choose authentication based on your user community and risk profile.

Pattern Comparison

Pattern	Complexity	Security	Best For
API Keys	Low	Medium	Server-to-server, internal tools
Username/Password	Low	Low-Medium	Simple applications, low risk
OAuth 2.0 / OIDC	Medium	High	User-facing apps, SSO integration
SAML 2.0	High	High	Enterprise SSO, federated identity
mTLS	High	Very High	Government, financial, high-security

OAuth 2.0 Implementation

For user-facing applications, OAuth 2.0 with OIDC is recommended:

// Authorization Code Flow with PKCE
1. User redirects to authorization server
2. User authenticates and consents
3. Authorization server returns code
4. Application exchanges code for tokens
5. Access token used for API requests

// Token structure
{
  "sub": "user-123",           // Subject (user ID)
  "iss": "https://auth.example.com",  // Issuer
  "aud": "https://api.example.com",   // Audience
  "exp": 1704067200,           // Expiration
  "roles": ["proposer", "viewer"],
  "org": "acme-corp"
}

mTLS for High Security

For government or high-security deployments, mutual TLS provides strong authentication:

Client certificates issued by trusted CA
Certificate validates at TLS handshake
Certificate attributes map to authorization
No tokens or credentials in application layer

Key Management: mTLS security depends on proper certificate lifecycle management. Implement certificate rotation, revocation checking, and expiration monitoring.

Authorization Model

FERIN defines specific roles that map to authorization permissions.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Anonymous / Public

Unauthenticated access to public resources

Read published items (if access commitment allows)
View public metadata
No write operations

Proposer

Can submit proposals for changes

All public access
Submit proposals
View own proposals
Modify own draft proposals

Register Manager

Day-to-day operations

All proposer access
Validate proposals
Manage operational settings
View all proposals

Control Body

Approves or rejects proposals

All manager access
Approve/reject proposals
Provide decision rationale
Delegate within scope

Register Owner

Full administrative access

All control body access
Assign roles
Modify register configuration
Handle appeals

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

For fine-grained control, use ABAC to consider additional attributes:

// ABAC policy example
policy proposal_submit:
  condition:
    user.role: proposer
    user.org_verified: true
    item.status: published OR user.is_owner

policy proposal_approve:
  condition:
    user.role: control_body
    user.org: proposal.target_org
    NOT user.is_proposer_for(proposal)

Data Protection

Encryption in Transit

All API communication must use TLS 1.2 or higher:

Enforce HTTPS for all endpoints
Use HSTS headers to prevent downgrade attacks
Configure strong cipher suites
Implement certificate pinning for mobile/native apps

Encryption at Rest

Protect sensitive data stored in databases and files:

Data Type	Protection	Notes
Item content	Application-level encryption	For highly sensitive content
User credentials	Bcrypt/Argon2 hashing	Never store plaintext
API keys	Hashed or encrypted	Display only once on creation
Audit logs	Integrity protection (HMAC)	Prevent tampering
Database	TDE or volume encryption	Defense in depth

Personal Data Protection

When registers contain personal data, implement GDPR/privacy compliance:

Data minimization: collect only necessary data
Retention policies: define and enforce retention periods
Right to access: users can view their data
Right to erasure: implement redaction capabilities
Consent management: track consent for processing

Audit Logging

Comprehensive audit logs are essential for governed registers.

What to Log

Authentication Events

Login attempts (success/failure)
Token issuance and refresh
Password changes
Session termination

Authorization Events

Access denied events
Role assignments/changes
Permission modifications

Data Events

Item create/update/delete
Status changes
Proposal submissions
Decision records

Administrative Events

Configuration changes
Role management
System maintenance

Log Format

{
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "eventId": "evt_abc123",
  "eventType": "ITEM_UPDATE",
  "actor": {
    "userId": "user-123",
    "role": "proposer",
    "ipAddress": "192.168.1.100",
    "userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0..."
  },
  "resource": {
    "type": "RegisterItem",
    "id": "rum:m",
    "version": "2.0.0"
  },
  "action": "UPDATE",
  "outcome": "SUCCESS",
  "details": {
    "fields": ["definition"],
    "proposalId": "prop_456"
  }
}

Log Protection

Store logs in append-only storage
Use HMAC or digital signatures for integrity
Replicate to separate, secure storage
Define retention periods based on requirements
Restrict log access to authorized personnel

Threat Modeling

Consider these threat categories when designing your register security:

Unauthorized Access

Threat: Attacker gains access to restricted data.

Mitigations:

Strong authentication (MFA)
Principle of least privilege
Regular access reviews
Session timeouts

Data Tampering

Threat: Attacker modifies register content.

Mitigations:

Integrity-protected audit logs
Digital signatures on critical items
Change detection monitoring
Regular integrity checks

Denial of Service

Threat: Attacker makes register unavailable.

Mitigations:

Rate limiting
Traffic filtering
Auto-scaling
CDN for read traffic

Insider Threat

Threat: Authorized user abuses access.

Mitigations:

Segregation of duties
Audit all actions
Regular access reviews
Anomaly detection

Data Exfiltration

Threat: Sensitive data stolen in bulk.

Mitigations:

Data classification
Export controls
DLP monitoring
Encryption

Supply Chain

Threat: Compromise via dependencies.

Mitigations:

Dependency scanning
SBOM maintenance
Vendor assessment
Patch management

Security Checklist

Authentication

☐ MFA enabled for admin roles
☐ Strong password policy enforced
☐ Session timeout configured
☐ Failed login lockout enabled

Authorization

☐ RBAC implemented per FERIN roles
☐ Least privilege enforced
☐ Regular access review scheduled
☐ API rate limiting configured

Data Protection

☐ TLS 1.2+ enforced
☐ Sensitive data encrypted at rest
☐ Encryption keys rotated
☐ Backup encryption enabled

Monitoring

☐ Audit logging enabled
☐ Log integrity protected
☐ Alerting for suspicious activity
☐ Incident response plan defined

Security Overview

Authentication

Authorization

Data Protection

Audit & Compliance

Authentication Patterns

Pattern Comparison

OAuth 2.0 Implementation

mTLS for High Security

Authorization Model

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Anonymous / Public

Proposer

Register Manager

Control Body

Register Owner

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

Data Protection

Encryption in Transit

Encryption at Rest

Personal Data Protection

Audit Logging

What to Log

Authentication Events

Authorization Events

Data Events

Administrative Events

Log Format

Log Protection

Threat Modeling

Unauthorized Access

Data Tampering

Denial of Service

Insider Threat

Data Exfiltration

Supply Chain

Security Checklist

Authentication

Authorization

Data Protection

Monitoring

Related Topics

See Also

Getting Started

Identifiers

Versioning